What’s Hot

CANADIANS COOL TO E-COMMERCE

While Web usage among Canadians continues to climb, our adoption of e-commerce remains stagnant. CyberTrends, ComQuest Research’s quarterly survey of Canadian behaviour and attitudes toward the Internet, reports half of all Canadian adults use the Web at least once a month – and the proportion of those who use the Web weekly has risen to 40%, up from 34% just a year ago. Only 14% of Internet users, however, feel "very comfortable" buying online, a number that has not changed since the last quarter. A full 61% of Canadian consumers say they’re not comfortable at all.

WE’RE SO VAIN

According to a recent survey by hair-growth formula maker Rogaine, men are increasingly concerned about their appearance and the impact it has on their romantic and social lives. Over four and a half million Canadian men suffer from hair loss, and describe their predicament as "depressing" or "stressful," according to the Rogaine Reality Report. The study says men are no longer willing to "suffer in silence" – 46% of those surveyed say they deal with the emotional impact of hair loss by talking to their partners. The Canadian celebrities whose hair is most admired by balding Canadian males are Quebec singer Roch Voisine and comic actor Jim Carrey.

HAPPY P-O-P DAY

When shoppers are in holiday planning mode, they’re more open to suggestion. That, loosely put, is one of the conclusions of a recent study by Point-of-Purchase Advertising International (POPAI), a New Jersey-based trade association representing in-store advertisers. The pilot study, which measured the effectiveness of POP advertising, found that in-store displays – including signage, floor graphics, coupons and so on – boosted sales in 13 of the 20 weeks measured. But the study found the lift to sales was substantially higher when the creative was tied to a specific holiday or event, particularly those all-American summer festivities – Memorial Day, Independence Day and Labor Day. The research study, which tracked 30 food and beverage categories, found that POP advertising made the most difference to new brands and those that were infrequently promoted.

THE GREYING WEB

You can teach an old dog new tricks, but first you’ve got to earn its trust. That’s the gist of a recent study by the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) that set out to examine the confidence levels of "elderly" computer and Web users. The study, which surveyed 1,000 computer users aged 45 and up, concludes the group represents an important and growing online demographic, but says confidentiality of personal information is of "utmost concern" to aging Net surfers. Among the key findings: Respondents reported having used computers an average of 8.5 years and to have been online an average of 3.3 years; about 80% of those surveyed have Internet access and, of those, respondents spent an average of five hours a week using e-mail and nine hours a week surfing the Net. That said, the study also shows online confidence drops sharply with increasing age and suggests that marketers be sensitive to the range of skill levels that exist among computer users 45-plus.

Cannes Lions 2025: Canadians nab more medals on final festival day

Strategy is on the ground in Cannes, bringing you the latest news, wins and conference highlights all week long. Catch all the coverage here.

Friday’s batch of Silver and Bronze winners included the oldest category at the Cannes festival, Film, as well as Sustainable Development Goals, Dan Wieden Titanium, Glass: The Lion for Change and Grand Prix for Good. Canadians were recognized with four Lions today: two Silver and a Bronze in Film, as well as a Bronze in Sustainable Development Goals.

FCB Toronto was given yet another nod for its work, “The Count,” for SickKids, bringing the medal count for that campaign to four, including a Gold for Health & Wellness. Another Canadian agency recognized on the final day of the festival was Klick Health Toronto, which earned a Silver in Film for its work “Love Captured” for Human Trafficking Awareness and a Bronze for “18 Months” for Second Nurture. And over in Sustainable Development Goals, the Bronze went to Publicis Canada and its “Wildfire Watchtowers” work for Rogers.

Another massive win for Canada included not one, but two Young Lions (pictured above) taking home medals in the annual competition. In Design, the Gold Young Lion was awarded to Rethink’s senior motion designer Jesse Shaw and ACD Zoë Boudreau. The second, a Bronze in Media, went to Cossette Media’s business intelligence analyst Samuel David-Durocher and product development supervisor Tristan Bonnot-Parent.

Film (2 Silver, 1 Bronze)

1 SILVER: “The  Count” by FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation

“The Count,” a striking campaign from FCB Toronto for SickKids Foundation, has earned 1 Gold, 2 Bronze and now 1 Silver for Film at Cannes. If you watch it, it’s easy to see why. The collaboration between brand and agency honoured the hospital’s “VS” platform, while steering it in a new direction from its initial development by previous AOR Cossette. The creative celebrates childhood cancer patients who have to fight for every birthday, while honouring the hospital’s own milestone – 150 years and counting.

 

1 Silver: “Love Captured” by Klick Health Toronto for The Exodus Road

Klick Health Toronto added to its medal tally with a Silver in Film for it’s work “Love Captured” for The Exodus Road. The creative features a romantic getaway that isn’t what it seems in an experiential short film for the global anti-trafficking organization. The experience takes viewers through a tragic and twisting experience of exploitation.

 

1 BRONZE: “18 Months” by Klick Health Toronto for Second Nurture

Klick Health Toronto also won a Bronze in the Film category for its work, “18 Months,” done for the charity organization Second Nurture. The animated film is based on a real-life story in which a same-sex couple adopts a baby found in a subway station, and the 18-month journey into a story of hope.

Sustainable Development Goals (1 Bronze)

1 BRONZE: “Wildfire Watchtowers” by Publicis Canada for Rogers

Publicis Canada landed on the winners board for its work, “Wildfire Watchtowers,” for Rogers. The Canadian-developed wildfire-detection tech – which has been billed as “a fire alarm in the forest” – uses AI-powered sensors installed on 5G towers to monitor vast remote areas in real time. By scanning, identifying and reporting early signs of wildfires (up to 16 minutes faster than other systems), the technology helped prevent 54 fires in 2024 alone.

Catch the Gold winners later today when they’re revealed at the gala in Cannes.